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User-Submitted Photos of Melissa

Popularity Over Time: How Many Girls Have Been Named Melissa

This chart illustrates how many Girls were named Melissa in the U.S. since 1880.

A few facts about the girl's name Melissa:

Records indicate that 745,408 girls in the United States have been named Melissa since 1880.

The greatest number of people were given this name in 1979, when 34,033 people in the U.S. were given the name Melissa. Those people are now 38 years old.

So ... how do we know this stuff? Baby Names Hub identifies trends by analyzing vast amounts of data made available by the U.S. government and other public sources. This data, including social security statistics, provides detailed information on baby name popularity and trends in the United States.

Comments about the name Melissa

90%

Approval RatingBased on the comments submitted below

70 Positive Comments

"My names Melissa and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE NAME!!! It's so unique and it makes me feel important!! I'm half Irish and half Turkish. Some of the nicknames I have are Lissy, Mel, Mimi, Lisa, Missy and sometimes it can get annoying but it's usually ok!! I hate it when people spell my name "Mellisa" , "Mellissa" that bugs me too but I get past it. If you're thinking of naming your kid Melissa I definitely recommend it!! Oh ya I'm 12 so that means I've been to primary school and I just started secondary school. And I'm both of them I was/am THE ONLY MELISSA!! So it made me feel really different. Anyway that's all from me!! Byeeeee!!" Sep. 6, 2017:

"I used to think my name was so boring but I've come to LOVE it. I only know two other Melissa' s I became great friends with one and the other we never spoke. Either way, I love the name because I guess it's so classy and not so common it gets annoying. My family and close friends call me Mely. Once I had a teacher call me Marable and another time Maria how I don't know but it did bother me." Aug. 26, 2017:

"I do know three other Melissa's, but its still quite unique. I'm called Melissa, and born in 2001 so I am a young Melissa! So many nicknames: Lissy, Lissa, Mel etc. Only problem is, most people spell it wrong (Mellisa)which is quite annoyinh as it clearly isn't spelt like this- even friends and family get it wrong some how. Another good point, the name Melissa is going down in popularity- it was particularly popular in the 70's and 80's- so call your child Melissa and keep the population going! However, I'm tired of hearing the rhyme 'Melissa, Melissa, the boys don't wanna kiss ya'!! lol" Jan. 31, 2017:

"hi my name is Thea but I have a bff called Melissa she is amazing and if your thinking about calling your child Melissa he or she will be very special and will have an amazing name" Oct. 17, 2016:

"My name is Melissa. Born in 1979. Love my name and nicknames Missy or Miss-Liss. Have a friend named Michelle. Did not meet another Melissa until 8th grade. I think its old fashioned and beautiful." May. 27, 2015:

"My name is Melissa, I was born in the year 2000 so its less popular now than say 30 ish years ago. I have had so many people use different nicknames for me it gets annoying after a while, Mel, Missy, Lissa, Melly and of course my friends used to joke about MonaLISSA.
I have been to 2 primary schools and both times I have been the only Melissa!!" Nov. 11, 2013:

"I was Lissa as a child. Missy I would never accept as a reasonable name. Mel I can deal with and it happens sometimes.
On the phone sometimes people hear Martha and I do NOT UNDERSTAND IT." Sep. 7, 2012:

"I'm another Melissa Ann, and I love my name. My sister was born when I was five, and I loved my name so much that I kept insisting that my parents name her something close to my name. They ended up naming her Melinda, and to this day, I love that we are Melissa and Melinda! We don't have any other people in our family named Melissa and Melinda, so maybe our parents picked what was popular in the 70's. The name is unusual enough that people remember it, but popular enough that people recognize it." Jul. 24, 2012:

"My sisters name is Melissa. I love her name but when I was little I couldn't say it so I would call her Issa. It reminds me she is my sister." Apr. 25, 2012:

"Did you know the Irish use it as a feminine form of the Gaelic name "Maoiliosa" which means "servant of Jesus"? I keep learning cool new things about my name! Honeybee, nymph who nursed Zeus, name applied to priestesses in general, etc. etc. etc.!! It's really quite a cool name! It's also interesting how so many Melissas (like me) have "Ann" as our middle name." Apr. 14, 2012:

"My actual name is Melis, but Melissa is commonly used for me. I'm Turkish, and my italian,american,swedish etc.. friends call me Melissa, so I'm used to It :) I love my name, and how international it is. I'm oftenly called Mel or Liz, and that sounds cute to me :)" Mar. 12, 2012:

"My name's, Melissa and I love it! I was born in the 90s so hardly anyone has the name anymore that I know of, aside from the couple of people I know. It's not popular anymore which makes me more unique and I love how it sounds. More old-fashion, very feminine and sophisticated unlike the modern names we hear now-a-day. I go by just Melissa, no nicknames like Missy, Lissa, Lissy, Mel, etc. Aside from the random things once in awhile, it's Melissa and that's how I like it." Oct. 31, 2011:

"My name is Melissa. I am 25 years old, I like it. I always have. People spell it wrong all the time, but they spell my last name wrong too. I think that is life. My Dad calls me Mel or Melly, but those are my only nicknames. My Mom says Missy is trashy so I was never called Missy. I don't think anyone has really called me anything but Melissa or Mel." May. 5, 2011:

"I'm a Melissa by choice not by birth. My real name is Kirsteen which I absolutely hate as it's a weird, uncommon name. I'm in the process of changing my name legally to Melissa. Melissa may not be the most popular name in the world but it is so mucj more popular than Kirsteen, the name that makes me cringe. I was born in 1977 , a popular time for the name Melissa." Nov. 27, 2010:

"People call me Martha, Maritza, or Marissa over the phone. It is SO annoying. But that is the only annoyance, so I guess the name is pretty good." Nov. 16, 2010:

"I am a Melissa as well. I have gone by all of the variotions of the name. My family calls me Missy, most of my friends call me Melissa or when they want things it is Missa or Lissa. That is what most little kids call me too. Though to my nieces and nephews its Auntie Missy. I have also been confused with a lot of M names as well mostly Martha..always found it strange how they confuse the two myself.
I love my name and think it fits me well. Only grew went to school with one other Melissa that was from 6th grade through 12th. I was born in 85." Nov. 3, 2010:

"I love my name!! Melissa is the best name to have, when I was younger my grandpa would call my older sister Molasses so they named me Melissa.. too funny. My name is always confused with Michelle, who is my sister, on the phone I get called "Martha" eww.. and above all Honey Bee is the best meaning.. 1981 Year of Birth.. :) I get called, mel, missy, lissa, whatever none bother me ... i especially love mel if anything" Oct. 19, 2010:

"Hi!, My name is Melissa as well and i was born in 1991. I don't remember meeting any other girl named Melissa till 4th grade in girl scouts and that was a big deal to me lol. In kindergarten there was a little girl ho looked like me name Elysha so e would get mixed up sometimes and I hated it. By 7th grade I had 2 other Melissa's in my classes till 12th grade -_-. My nicknames are: Melli, Missy, Mel, Mela, Melon lol, and little kids typically say Misha ^_^. I don't mind any of these except Melon lol" Jul. 10, 2010:

"my name is melissa and i never used to know anyone with it but now i know only 1 other and typically im in her class. my mum, dad and sister call me liss or lissa but just them. and almost everyone spells it mellisa I also hate when people call me mel!" Jul. 7, 2010:

"Melissa here. Born in 1990 and I use to think my name was so boring. But that was when I was in a school with 5 other Melissa's. I love it though. It' feminine and pretty. But Oddly, I like going by Mel. It's more down to earth and simple to me. And that's what my friends call me. The kids at the daycare I worked for couldn't say Melissa, so they'd say "Missa" and now that's what they know me by. And my best friend calls me Missa too. ha. My family has all sorts of Missy, Miss, Melis, Mel, but I've never had problems with the Lissa or Liss. Hmmmm. It get confusing at family get together's with Melissa, Alcia, and Lisa. too. Haha" Jul. 3, 2010:

"I've had a few experiences with the whole Martha/Michelle/Marissa mix-up and once even got a "Marisha". Does that name even exist? Lol! Best part about having this name is when a cute foriegn boy says it... "ooh May-lissa"! Lol, loves it!" Jun. 24, 2010:

"My Name Is Melissa!(:
i don't like having any nicknames
I only go by Melissa or maybe everyoncce in awhile ill go by Lissa." May. 12, 2010:

"Melissa is my name but I go by Missy. I don't find it annoying... I actually like it :D Missy doesn't confuse anyone because it doesn't sound like Alissa or Marissa. I always felt "Melissa" always seemed more elegant and formal while "Missy" was more relaxed and laid back, like me. When ever I meet someone I always tell them to just call me Missy." Apr. 14, 2010:

"I love my name. Does that make me vein? I don't think so. Just the was it sounds when you say it just makes me smile. I HATE being called Missy and Mel. Those are NOT my name. Martha is another name I get called. I don't understand M-E-L-I-S-S-A or M-A-R-T-H-A...Don't sound anything alike to me." Apr. 6, 2010:

"My name's Melissa, and I absolutely love it. It's never mispronounced or spelled wrong, but it's not common enough to be annoying. I only know one other Melissa, she's my sorority sister, but she has a double name (Melissa Erin) so it never gets confusing." Feb. 17, 2010:

"My older sister's name is Melissa Ann. When she was younger our family use to call her "Missy" but I couldn't pronounce it right so I called her "Missa". We don't call her that anymore since she's 19 already so we just call her Melissa or sometimes Mo-lissa" Dec. 14, 2009:

"I too, am a Melissa. My family calls me Mel, which I am not too fond of and I prefer to be called by my full name. I NEVER like Missy... Although when I was little (30 years ago) my big sister couldn't say my name, and it would come out "Issa". The only one who still called me that after all those years was my grandpa, and I thought that was pretty great!! My middle name is also Anne... When I was small my mom used to say "where's my Issa?" SO, I thought my name was "My Issa AND Geib" I was so confused!!! haha" Oct. 5, 2009:

"Everyone pronounces my name right because its so common. i like that its not too common but not too rare either." Sep. 24, 2009:

"i was born in 1990 and my name's melissa! i like my name a lot although i get pretty annoyed that i know probably over 10 other melissas personally -_- but i love how it means 'honey bee', it's cute that way heh. friends all call me mel, since idk, maybe 3 syllable names are far too tedious to say or something haha. other nicknames i had were mello, mimi, meliss, mobab, bab, baba, emmett, embee. LOL i have strange people around me." Sep. 3, 2009:

"My name's Melissa and I like my name. Glad to hear lots of other people have the 'Michelle' problem too..Melissa & Michelle don't even sound alike lol I never used to like being called Mel, but so many people call me that I gave up trying to correct them and I'm used to it now. But my close friends call me Liss, which I prefer :)" Aug. 16, 2009:

"My name is Melissa and I am only 11, I absoulute LOVE my name! My friends call me missa, and little kids that can't prounounce my name call me lissa. One of my aunts calls me Missy and I HATE it so much! And well as I have not met any other melissa's while I was in kindergarted, there was me melissa, a alyssa, and a marrissa. Everyone always got us confused with each other!" Jul. 18, 2009:

"Born in 73, my name is Melissa. I love my name! I never got teased about my name. I hate all the nicknames that go with Melissa - mostly Mel and Missy. I do get called Michelle quite a bit - not sure why. And I am always surprised by the number of people that can't spell Melissa - sometimes they are not even close." Jun. 22, 2009:

"Melissa is my name I was born in 1984 I am now 24 and still love my name though all my friends and family call me Melz for short because in High School I had 2 friends and they were also called Melissa so we had to come up with nicknames so we wouldn't get confused. I have had the nickname since then. I knows when I am in trouble with friends, family and fiance because they will say Melissa not Melz lol." Apr. 18, 2009:

"Hmmf
melissa is a awesome name
im in highschool and i know about
7 melissa's
it's such a cute name" Apr. 12, 2009:

"My name is Melissa. I was born in 1988. I love my name. I go by Melissa, NOT Missy. My one boss at work calls me Missy...very annoying. I was the only Melissa in elementary and high school, so I was unique. In my one class there was Melissa(me), Alissa, and Marissa-funny because we all sat beside each other." Mar. 21, 2009:

"I like my name. I am 49 years old and there are few of us in this age range. To my family I am Lis, sometimes Lissa. At work it is usually shortened to Meliss and I also like that....please don't call me Missy. I work in a high stress fast paced professional environment and have never felt my name to be childish or lacking in strength." Feb. 18, 2009:

"I'm also named Melissa (I'm 29, so also born at the height of popularity) and have never actually met anyone with an alternative spelling (though people misspell it all the time!). I'm also usually called "Michelle" (what's that all about anyway??) and I absolutely despite being called "Missy" (though I think "Mel" is ok. My mom calls me "Meliss"). There were two of us in my 3rd grade class named Melissa and one of us had to go by a nickname and I threatened to beat the other girl up if she didn't volunteer. She was Missy from then on!" Dec. 2, 2008:

"I like the name Melissa, but I have never been called that. I was named after my aunt. My mom had every intention of naming me Melissa, but calling me Lissa. Lissa is a little more complicated, but not as common. I have more trouble with the name Lissa. Most people think it is Lisa with 2 "s's" or Alicia, Liza, Lizza, Alyssa. The names are endless. I started a new job and in 29 years it is the first time I've been called Melissa. I did it for legal reason so my paycheck would match my ss#, license, etc. But, I always go by Lissa with family and friends. I was born in 1979, which I believe is a popular time for the name Melissa." Nov. 11, 2008:

"umm well lets see, im 15 and my name is melissa..i have 4 friends named alyssa dn one named melissa, so yeah it gets confusing we all just answer the name now...lol. i like my name, but can never find a good nick naem for it...mel missy, me me, liss and so on but i wanted something diffretn. i like my name and think it relates to me alot...funny i hate honey though, considering mynaem means honeybee. the middle name is kelly.....so i sometimes am called mk to people, or miley is another nicknaem....but yeah, overall, i like my name, no complaints here." Nov. 3, 2008:

"I was born in 1959. During my entire growing up years, I only met one other Melissa. It was a very rare name at the time. By the time I turned 20, it seemed like every other little girl I met was named Melissa. I can almost guarantee that if I meet another Melissa, she won't be over 35. Despite its popularity, I still like the name. It is Greek for honeybee. Honeybees are very productive, they make sweet nectar and, if bothered, they sting. I think it's a perfect name for me. :-)" Jun. 24, 2008:

"MY NAME IS MELISSA! That's asum!
Lol... My name is Melissa & i'm turning 13 in 17 days...
& there is another girl named melissa & i HAVE to be called 'Mel' it pisses me off!
So yer" Jun. 5, 2008:

"i like my name but sometimes its annoys me becasue people do spell it wrong and i'm like 'its not that hard!' i also like the meaning ^^ its cute!" Mar. 10, 2008:

"my name is melissa its a gorgeous name i think its not too common either so its special xxxx" Jan. 18, 2008:

"My name is Melissa I'm 28 now I was in school in 4th grade there was 4 Melissa's incl. myself in the class so it was a common name for me growing up.We had to go by our last names @ times." Jan. 11, 2008:

"Cool Name! i think its professional and smart sounding!" Sep. 27, 2007:

"My name is Melissa and I am in 6th grade... I have never met another Melissa my age. I find it a unique name... I have many nicknames... some are Melissa Me-me, Mel, Missy, Leesa, Lissa, and Maleesa..." Jul. 27, 2007:

"My name is Melissa and I am in my early 20's (80's child!!) I work at a company of over 300 people and I am the only one here. I think it is very pretty. Although, a lot of younger children have trouble saying it so they call me Mel. I have a lot of nick name over the years from it...Mellie Mel, Mel, Missy, Lisa." Jul. 6, 2007:

"You know what..Melissa is the sexiest name I have EVER heard in my entire life..so SUCK ONE!" Jul. 3, 2007:

"i like having melissa as a name...i used to hate it but it seems so lively now so nice to have when you're as crazy as me!" Jun. 24, 2007:

"Yes, my name too... I was ALWAYS called "Missey" growing up. Now everyone (But family) calls me Melissa. I do love my name, only cause it seems to suit me simple, but sweet. I too hated the nickname "mel" growing up, but if people jokingly call me that why get upset? Yes I always have known and been friends with other Melissa's, never really thought too much of it we have a common bond, that's great!" Apr. 17, 2007:

"Even tho I am often called Melanie,Martha, Michelle, Minnie,Mary, Marianne,...the list just goes on and on I have come to like my name. I did a lot of research to find out what it means and I found this poem (or whatever you want to call it) and in this poem it says that Melissa is strongest of women. I realized that this is true and so I am proud of my name." Mar. 30, 2007:

"My name is Melissa lol. I think it's a good name. I don't really care, as least my name doesn't mean [censored]! It's a lovely name and I think it's coolio." Mar. 25, 2007:

"Reading over the comments, I found that I am not the only Melissa frequently called "Martha" especially when introducing myself over the phone. It happens so often but, despite that, I love my name. At 27, it was a great name as a child and now as an adult, also it suits both my professional life and my personal life. I've often heard the comment that Melissa is a good "blind date" name...you can always expect a Melissa to be pretty when you meet her in person!" Mar. 12, 2007:

"My name is Melissa. When I was little I hated it cuz I only got called Melissa when I was in trouble. I was always called Missy, except when my dad called me Mel or Melvin. Now that I'm older I go by Melissa and love it...it's more grown up than Missy although some people still call me that. I've also been called Mis and Mismis." Nov. 29, 2006:

"My name is Melissa. I have been called Mel, Miss, Missy, and Meliss. I like my name." Nov. 9, 2006:

"i used to hate my name, i mean everyone else had such eotic names that i loved! until i found out what my name meant, :) heeheehee. now i actually feel lucky to have this name. but the one thing that anoyys me most are the ugly nick names like missy, mel, issa, melly, etc. i know one thing however...i'm never naming one of my kids that! lol" Oct. 15, 2006:

"Melissa is my name and while I have never minded it I never thought of it to be a very pretty name but with the trend of Kay everything Kayla, Kaylee I like it now" Aug. 26, 2006:

"My name is Melissa (28) and growing up there weren't a lot of others with that name. Some have called me Mel, which I don't mind, others have called me Melis which I like and my step-daughter who is 2 calls me Missa which I love. It's a great name and I don't find it girly-girl - and I'm definately not a girly girl!" Jul. 26, 2006:

"I have always loved the name Melissa which I guess is strange seeing most people don't like there own names. I don't like being called 'Mel' as it sounds butch, pretty much I don't get called anything other than Melissa. I'm 34 now and still love it." Jul. 3, 2006:

"My name is Melissa, and I absolutely love my name. I'm going to have to disagree with what some other people say about it being a girly-girl name, because I'm definitely not a girly-girl and I don't feel like I've ever been typecast in any way as a result of being called 'Melissa.' I love what a flexible name it is. I can be called 'Melissa' in professional situations, or 'Mel,' 'Melmo,' 'Mellow,' etc, in casual circumstances. My only problem has been sharing my name with other Melissa's, but I figure you can't win them all." Jun. 20, 2006:

"Growing up I was called Missy, and only Melissa if I was in trouble. Now it's generally Mel, or Melba (by my quirky mother-in-law). The nick name I hated, was Melanoma...given to me by my awnry brother-in-law." Jun. 11, 2006:

"My name is Melissa. I used to get called Melissa Pissa, that didn't work for me. I did get horribly teased as a child. As an adult I love it and wear BEEs were ever I go." May. 28, 2006:

"My name is Melissa. I love this name it is so pritty. My best friends name is Melissa. Anouther one of our frinds has to call us Miss and Lissa.lol" Dec. 1, 2005:

"I love my name melissa because there is a song called "sweet melissa" by the allman brothers. its a pretty song!!!" Nov. 18, 2005:

"the name Melissa has served me well. I liked the fact that growing up it was uncommon. I never allowed anyone to call me Missy. My immediate family sometimes call me Mis which I approve of. I like that it is a lady-like name!" Aug. 17, 2005:

"My name is Melissa.. people tried calling me Missy which I hated.. now I'm older (24) and they all call me Mel :) Growing up, I was the only Melissa I knew. Not a very common name where I lived. I like it alot more now that I'm starting to have children of my own.. Its such a pretty name!" Jul. 27, 2005:

"Melissa is my daughter's name. In her 14 years, I've only encountered two other Melissas - one was an adult and the other was a little girl around 5 years old. The reason we picked Melissa for our daughter was because it's beautiful and a definitely a girly-girl name conjuring up images of ribbons and curls. It's my very favorite name." Jul. 1, 2005:

8 Negative Comments

"My name is Melissa I was born in the 60's . I never liked my name till everyone started calling me Lis or Lissa.Growing up I was called Missy and occasionally mitsy neither do I like. And still to this day at my age my family calls me missy. Ugg I always get called Martha too on the phone.I just don't understand they are not even closely spelled nor do they sound alike. I'll just stick with Lis or Lissa . Lol" Feb. 22, 2012:

"My name is Melissa and I hate it a lot. I was always called Missy and I hated it. No one could ever seem to spell my name right either, out of all names they act as if Melissa is hard to spell. Never knew anyone with my name either and I just hate the way it sounds." Apr. 3, 2011:

"My name is Melissa - I am 30 - I HATE IT. Everytime I answer the phone "This is Melissa" someone ALWAYS says "Martha" I guess I say it so fast to avoid having to say it. My family calls me Lily. A nickname my neice came up with. She couldn't say Melissa when she was 2. Guess she didnt like it either!!" Dec. 20, 2008:

"I hate this name.. its such a boring name.. I always grew up with 4 different Melissa's in my class.. I wish my parents would have picked something that wasn't quite so popular.. it wouldn't be a bad name to use today.. I think for the times.. it was just "too popular"" Oct. 5, 2006:

"My entire life people have spelled my name incorrectly (either too many/too few L's & S's) and I have a terrible time with people actually understanding what my name is when I introduce myself. I speak very clearly, but for some reason I am always thought to be named Martha!!" Aug. 25, 2006:

"Melissa is my name, never liked it much at all. There were a lot of girls in my school and that I know that have the same name. Actually one of my best friends in high school has the same name. Ya people do spell it wrong, and I DON'T like being called Missy, especially Prissy Missy. My mom always embarrassed me saying "Oh my Melissa I just want to kiss ya"." May. 8, 2006:

"No one can remember the name "Melissa". I ALWAYS get called Michelle or Megan instead!" Apr. 12, 2006:

"i am 24 now, and have come across many others with the name melissa. it is indeed a girly-girl name, which is fine, unless in the end your melissa isnt a girly-girl, like myself. i dont like being one of many, but more so dont like being called "missy" "lissa" "mel" or the lovely combo of "missy lissa" it works great for a small child, but i am finding it doesnt work well into adulthood." Dec. 13, 2005:

46 Neutral Comments

"- This is such an amazing photo. My bhertor and his wife just had twins and I can only hope to capture photos of them as lovely as the photos you have taken. Any tips would be welcomed as I am a complete amature photographer.October 10, 2011 8:05 pm" Jun. 16, 2013:

"I'm out of laegue here. Too much brain power on display!" Jul. 23, 2011:

"These pieces really set a standard in the inudstry." Jul. 21, 2011:

"My name is Melissa born in 86. I like what it means. Honeybee! Because I can be sweet like honey but can also sting like a bee! I often get called Michelle don't understand why. And I know a girl named Michelle who often gets called Melissa! I wonder if there's some type of phonetic explanation to that." Aug. 13, 2010:

"On the phone I often get Morsa... Is that a name? I do like the hispanic men calling me MAY-Lisa. Overall it's common enough and normal enough yet somehow people always spell it with two l's and one s.... Oh and I was born in 81"